One's Love, One's Pity
by Bishojo Beauty
Summary: Rufus is revived. But for what reason? Something is wrong, but will it be too late before he finds out? (Rufus/someone here! read and find out, female with long hair that's not dead.)
1. Chapter 1

One's Love, One's Pity

  
  


By: Bishojo Beauty

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. Simple stuff you know. They belong to Squaresoft and so on. 

Prologue

  
  
  
  


Pain was the only word to describe the moment. Rufus Shinra laid, sprawled, over the concrete floor. Or what felt like the remains of the Shinra Building. He dared to crack an eye open. What he saw was amazing. The top floors of the Shinra Building was completely blown off as he looked at if from below. From below? Suddenly the idea struck that he had fallen some 60 floors? And _survived_? Voices rang in his head. He was being lifted by unfamiliar hands. His back ached, his head ached, every part of him ached. It felt as if his skin was torn from him. Literally. The voices became clearer and clearer. He soon made out that the voice that belonged to the person dragging him along was _female_? 

"Damnit, why can't you walk? God, you try to kill me and here I am helping you, saving your life, and you don't even want to show your thanks by helping and walking?" The feminine voice continued to babble on as Rufus was being dragged along. Rufus tried to speak just to shut this person up, but when he went to, he found his lips numb, unmovable. The rest of his body followed. Then came darkness.

  
  


The next thing he knew he felt gentle hands, and cooling water working at his burns and cuts. He reached over and grabbed the wrist of this stranger. He peeled the lids of his eyes open, and waited for his vision to clear and focus onto a beautiful brunette with crimson eyes, dressed in a skimpy outfit. She was extremely familiar. 

"I've seen you from somewhere," Rufus finally spoke. He looked directly into her eyes, boring into her very soul. Something he worked up to...daunt his employees. He watched the girl squirm as he continued to glare at her. 

"Yes...we have met before. Under odd circumstances...," She finally said. Rufus raised one eyebrow, questioning her response. Rufus nodded once. Glancing around the room, it seemed quite nice and cozy. He guessed it to be somewhere in a small town.

"What happened to Midgar?" Rufus questioned, breaking the silence. He looked out the window. The sky was visible. This was not any part of Midgar.

"It was destroyed by Meteor," the girl looked down at the ground. Afraid this news might make the former president go insane. But to her relief, he only nodded in acceptance. 

"Um...are you hungry?" She asked. Rufus glanced at her and then turned back the window.

"Not really," Rufus mentally slapped himself after he answered her for giving her such a dumb response. Not really. Hah. Maybe he had relaxed a bit since his father died. No more shouting, beating, nothing. 

"I'm Tifa Lockheart, and I think you are...Rufus Shinra? Correct?" Tifa questioned. Tifa was her name. Tifa Lockheart of AVALANCHE. 

"Yes, Rufus. Why did you help me?" He asked her. She just looked at him for a long time. After a long while, Tifa broke off and went to the kitchen. Rufus could hear her preparing some food. Rufus took that time to stretch out. Or at least try to stretch out. He found it difficult to move. He looked down and realized that practically all of his body was bandaged. But, he ignored the pain and continued to walk around. He stopped at the window and placed his hand against the cooling glass. The chilling sensation vibrated through his body from his fingertips. Fire. It burned inside him. He remembered now. The bright flash. And the burning. The hellish fire engulfing his body whole. _No...I couldn't of had lived through that..._ Rufus Shinra looked deep into the reflection on the glass window. Something was wrong. Something was different. _My eyes..._ His eyes were...red.

  
  


Okay, this is my first fic that I think I will actually finish. Um...Review plz. Be gentle too. I'm a beginner. Well, anyway, next Chapter is coming up SOON. Don't worry, it will. I have the first part already written.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

One's Love, One's Pity

  
  


By: Bishojo Beauty

  
  


Chapter 1

  
  


Tifa opened the door that separated the kitchen and the small bedroom using her back. She stood, frozen as she gawked at Rufus' standing form. She dropped the tray of food on the ground stupidly. Rufus slowly turned around, raising an eyebrow in question.

"You shouldn't be standing!" She shouted. Rufus only shrugged. Waving her off. He did feel a small tinge of pain rising from his left thigh. But nothing that could really stop him. 

"Answer me one question," Rufus spoke cooly, "Why am I still alive?" Time seemed to stop, the question stood frozen in the air. Tifa fuddled for an answer. 

"I saved you," she finally blurted out. Rufus spun quickly on his heel. His eyes narrowed.

He started to chuckle maniacally. 

"Okay, it's over. No more games. I'M DEAD!" Rufus roared, throwing his hands up for more of an effect. 

"Rufus?" Tifa cautiously made her way over to Rufus. His head was down. She could hear him whisper nonsense to no one in particular. She reached out to him. Her hand rested gently on his shoulder. Maybe she hurt him, or maybe she didn't. But suddenly, he collapsed. Landing in Tifa's arms. Cursing, she carried his prone form back onto the bed. She practically threw him onto the bed. There was no other way. He was light. But not light enough for her to carry. She went over and cleaned up the mess on the floor where she dropped her food after she made sure Rufus was okay. She picked up a list from the kitchen counter and headed out the door. 

  
  
  
  


Timing herself carefully she quickly made it to the nearby shop to buy some clothes and some food. There was a commotion at the back of the shop but she ignored it and went to the store keeper. Focused on her task, she bought the few things she needed and continued on her way back. 

"Shut up foo'!" A voice shouted. Loud, booming, familiar. 

"What you just say?" Another voice shouted back.

"Quiet both of you! Or I'll chop you both up and make some sushi out of you," a young voice squealed. Recognized to be Yuffie. Tifa quickly made her way over and around to the group just to say hi.

"Hey guys!" Tifa greeted waving with her free hand. Four heads turned and looked at her surprised.

"Hey, Tifa. What brings you here to Kalm?" Yuffie pulled a chair out, inviting her to sit. 

"I'm kinda in a hurry. But drop by my place for a while. I'm just down the street. Maybe later today?" Tifa asked casually. Forgetting there was a certain person resting in her home.

"Yeah, sure." Cloud smiled. She waved her friends goodbye as she made her way back to her home. One returning home, she realized that she had done. She invited a few AVALANCHE members to her home while their enemy lies unconscious in her very bedroom. _Very smart, Tifa._ She cursed loudly making her way into her bedroom. Rufus was still unconscious. Unaware of what was about to happen.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit! Shit, what am I going to do?!?" Tifa paced around her room thinking of a plan to keep AVALANCHE from knowing. She thought of stuffing Rufus into the closet, but her fears of him awaking and walking out changed her mind. She heard a few muffled voices from the outside. She raced over and inspected around the area for the few AVALANCHE members. There was one girl and 3 men. The girl was dressed in some odd clothing holding a huge ninja star-like thing. The one man had blond spiky hair and a purple costume and a overly large sword. There was a dark skin man with a gun arm and the last guy was smoking and held a large spear.

"Definitely AVALANCHE," Tifa whispered quietly to herself. 

"What's definitely avalanche?" A voice queried from behind her. She spun around quickly and eyed the person who voiced the question. A smirk was plastered on his lips, his eyes burned with the essence of a child. 

"Um...AVALANCHE is here. They're coming," I stated. I watched him as he swung his long legs over the edge of the bed and walked over to the window and peered out to make sure I was not bluffing. He placed a finger on his lips thoughtfully as he continued to search the outside for something. 

"It's not even snowing. What do you mean avalanche?" He finally spoke. 

"Don't' you remember AVALANCHE?!?! The rebel group against your company? I was one of their members!" I threw my hands up to emphasize the importance. He just kept shaking his head and mumbling 'avalanche' over and over again. 

  
  


****

_*Buzz*_ _The intercom buzzed in my ears. I turn from my office window and pressed the button to the intercom down._

  
  


"_Vice-president Rufus, sir?" _

  
  


_"What is it? I thought I asked for no disturbances,"_ _I snapped. _

  
  


_"Y-yes, sir, I know. But..." My secretary stopped in mid-sentence. I could detect the fear in her voice. I can detect fear in all the voices of my employees here in Junon. The place where my 'father' put me to deal with 'his' problems. Every tangle he made, I untangled. Just like my life. He tangled up my life into a hellish thing. But still, I managed to untangle it. That bastard. _

  
  


_"...President Shinra was killed by Sephiroth just moments ago. I'm sorry." I quickly depress the intercom and chuckle madly to myself. So, my old man finally hit the dust eh? I quickly throw on my jacked and walk out my office door, ordering one of the SOLDIERS to get the chopper ready to fly to Midgar. _

  
  


_I sat in silence as the chopper made it's way higher into the top floors of the Shinra Building. I look through the glass window of my father's office and see him sitting in his office chair with Sephiroth's sword stabbed directly through him. Nailing him to his desk. I wave to the pilot to drop me off at the balcony as he went to land, I made a quick jump to the ground instead of waiting for him to land the plane. I watched silently as the chopper flew away from me, and soon, it was drowned into the darkness of the night. When I turned around I was met by the members of AVALANCHE. All of them were there. With a few new members added since the last report on them. _

  
  


_//Rufus? Are you okay? God...please answer me! RUFUS!!!//_

  
  


_****_

  
  


My eyes snapped open, I felt a sharp dull pain in my head. I was on the floor on my knees, my hands clutching my head hard. 

"What the hell?" My voice cracked. I looked up at the figure that was gently rubbing my back as I kneeled on the floor, hunched over. 

"Tifa Lockheart of AVALANCHE..." I whispered quietly to no one in particular. I felt another surge of power run through my body, leaving my body in pain. I gritted my teeth to keep myself from shouting out my pain. I clutched myself tightly. Inside my body, I could feel something growing...something unknown...but something was definitely there. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


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Okay, this is the end of this chapter. Hope you all liked it. I didn't really get too much time to spend on this. Maybe I'll redo it and revise it over.

Til next time. Payce.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

One's Love, One's Pity

  
  


By: Bishojo Beauty

  
  


Chapter 2

  
  
  
  


Rufus slowly peeled his eyes open, as he felt the heat of the sun against his body again. Moaning he sat up slowly, looking around the room as his vision became focused he recognized where he was. He sat up and began to think back to last night. Something happened, but he couldn't exactly remember what. A slight throbbing began in his head from the steady digging of his thoughts. He laid his head back down to rest. And quietly, voices started to talk in his head.

  
  


"So, how's it been? You like it up here, nice and quiet?" A masculine voice asked.

  
  


"Oh, yeah. It's calm. After all that, this is just what I need." The voice of a female replied. _Tifa? What the hell is going on? _A few chuckles started.

  
  


Rufus bolted up right, slowly and quietly he got up and made his way to the door. He stopped in his footsteps as he heard someone talking in the floor below. He pressed his ear against the door.

  
  


"Yeah, I suppose, it's nice up here," the masculine voice replied. _Didn't I just hear this from...over there? _Rufus backed away from the door, lightly smacking himself as he made his way back to the bed. _Must be a dream...._ He laid back onto the bed closing his eyes as he dismissed what he had heard. _Just some vent carrying up the sounds...yeah...that's it..._

  
  
  
  
  
  


Tifa waved goodbye to her fellow AVALANCHE members and close friends. She let out a sigh of relief as she closed the door and quickly made her way up to the room where Rufus slept on his side. When she entered the room, she found Rufus lying on top of the covers. She walked over and around to see if he was asleep or not. As she neared, she heard the steady breathing of sleep. She stood there for a short moment watching him sleep. His facial expression was more relaxed, rather than locked into that ice cold glare of his. She started to laugh at how his employees must have felt, when he shot that glare at them. Her giggles woke up Rufus as he looked at her in pure confusion. 

  
  


"What's so funny?" He asked rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, sleep still evident in his voice. Tifa just shook her head and walked away, humming softly to herself. He narrowed his eyes as she made her way to a bag full of something soft. She pulled it out, and held it in front of her for him to see. It was a loose white button up shirt, and a pair of white trousers.

  
  


"I thought you'd like white," she smiled as she set the clothes onto the bed at his feet. 

  
  


"I'm sure you'd like to shower, it's been quite a few days since your last," she signaled towards the bathroom with a quick wave of her hands as she made her way out of the room again. Rufus sat there in deep thoughts for a few seconds before he made his way into the bathroom. As he stripped himself of his old battered clothes, he stopped suddenly as he looked at himself in the full length mirror. He traced the few scratches and cuts across his chest, and pressed against the burn marks that covered him also. _How can anyone survive this? _Rufus let out a sigh as he headed into the shower. He made sure to keep the water not too cold, but not hot either. _Maybe it'll put some sense into all of this._ And sense it did, as he felt a jolt of pain shoot from his abdomen to his head. He clutched his head tightly and soon, fell into darkness.

  
  
  
  


When Rufus awoke, he found himself in a strange place. It was dark, and it had something that looked like stars that floated around him. Rufus himself seemed to be floating, as he was not standing on anything but air. 

  
  


"What the hell is going on here?" Rufus asked aloud as he floated higher and higher, or lower and lower, it was hard to tell which direction he was going since everywhere he looked, it was the same. 

  
  


_"Welcome, Rufus, to the lifestream," _a soft soothing voice spoke in his head. _Lifestream? Am I dead?_

  
  


_"Yes, dead. But not for long, Rufus," _

  
  


"Not for long? What the hell do you mean by that? And who are you?" Rufus just had to many questions, but one of the most important ones was to know your enemy, so who was the most sensible thing to do at the time.

  
  


_"You're quite a cranky one aren't you? Well, so I will answer your question, I am part of the lifestream. I guide the lost ones back onto the Planet. The ones that need a second chance to get into the proper lifestream_," Rufus narrowed his eyes to nothing, and no one, since nothing could be made out besides stars and more stars. 

  
  


_"I am guiding you back to the Planet, to live again. You must do something to repay the Planet for the damage you have done. Something is going to happen, and you're going to stop it," _the soothing voice started to fade as she neared the last words.

  
  


Rufus blinked his eyes again, and he ended up back in the shower water hitting against his back, as he crouched low. _Something is going to happen? And I'm supposed to stop it? I don't know..._ Rufus let out yet another sigh as he finished cleaning himself again, and checking himself once more in the mirror before dressing in the clothing that Tifa bought him. When he exited the bathroom, he found Tifa sitting on the edge of his bed where she seemed to be waiting for him.

  
  


"Finally, the price decides to come out. You spent a whole hour in there, and I was beginning to get worried about you," Tifa giggled, "you must be as wrinkled as a prune." Rufus raised his hands up and examined them. It was true, his hands and toes were all wrinkled. 

"How did you find me in Midgar?" Rufus suddenly asked. He laid on the bed waiting patiently for Tifa to give him the answer.

  
  


"Well, it was strange, but you were at the base of the building, just lying there, not under any rubble at all," Tifa took more interest in the ground that Rufus. _It's either I got blown off and survived, or I really got resurrected and here to save the Planet. _Rufus walked over to the window and gazed thoughtfully outside. Suddenly a sharp piercing scream sounded. Rufus grunted as he went down, the pain obviously too much for him. When the screaming stopped, he looked up at the worried face of Tifa, and said, "The planet's scream..." before passing out once again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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Geez, I hope that was good, I kinda lost my old version of this chapter since I was dumb enough not to save it somewhere else when I got my computer formatted. Hehe, well, anyway, I hope you all like this one! And I'm working on another on too. (Rufus is the main character again!!) 

  
  


Til next chapter, BYE!

  
  


Bishojo


	4. Chapter 4

One's Love One's Pity

  
  


By: Bishojo Beauty

  
  
  
  
  
  


Note: I just really had to say this. This chapter was practically IMPOSSIBLE to write! Well, not impossible, I just found it quite challenging. 

Oh, yeah, I also wanted to point something else out. Probably why I think Tifa and Rufus a close to a perfect couple. Or not, whatever. In the game she says: "I wonder what kind of person he is..." While the others say stuff about him, she wonders about him. Hahah, I'm pathetic, yes....

  
  
  
  


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Tifa Lockheart, member of the rebels, AVALANCHE, who were against Shinra, was actually sitting in her kitchen worrying about Shinra. The son of Shinra actually. Rufus never really got to rule Midgar before he too bit the dust. But he returned. What Rufus had in mind of the perfect way to rule Midgar anyway, didn't really sound any better than the way his father had. Fear. Tifa thought back to the time she first say Rufus in person. Rather than on the television, where he stood next to daddy and looked nice for the camera. 

  
  


***

  


"Who are you guys?" Rufus questioned. Cloud was the first person to speak up. Him being the leader of AVALANCHE and all. 

"I'm Cloud, former SOLDIER First Class!"

"I'm from AVALANCHE!" Barret roared in his usual voice. Just with a little pinch of anger. I was next to speak. Though I said the least. 

"Same here!"

  
"...a flower girl from the slums." Aeris piped. Followed by RedXIII

"A research specimen."

"What a crew." Shrugging, Rufus flicked his strawberry blonde bangs back as they dared to interfere with this vision.

" Well I'm Rufus the President of the Shinra Inc. I'll let you hear my new appointment speech. Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working. The population thought that Shinra would protect them. Work at Shinra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army with help you. It looks perfect on the outside but, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them." He was now near the railing of the large balcony that looked over Midgar. The view from above was quite amazing, but not all could be seen.

  
  


"He likes to make speeches just like his father." I said. My own voice sounding in my head. This time, it didn't feel very smart of me to point out the obvious...

  
  


***

  
  


Rufus lay awake in the bed. He wasn't doing much. But it could be considered thinking. Soon, surprisingly, Rufus found his thoughts drifting to Tifa. He remembered how her hair swayed back and forth as she walked, how her beautiful dark eyes that looked almost crimson in color looked at him. Instantly, Rufus came to the conclusion that he actually felt somewhat... calm around her. Unlike when he was around another other person. _I think I'm starting to grow fond of her..._ Rufus practically laughed out loud at the words he had used. _Well, I really like her, in other words..._

  
  


***

  
  


Tifa let a sigh escape her lips as she stood to make some tea for herself. _Gee...it gets pretty lonely around here. Maybe I should invite back some of the AVALANCHE members since Rufus apparently_ _is out cold. _Tifa didn't dismiss that thought at all as she made her way hastily to the phone needing the company of another. She waited unpatiently for someone to answer on the other end. To her disappointment no one did. Again, she sighed. Not long after, Tifa found herself entering the guest room where Rufus slept, only to find him awake sitting at the end of the bed in what seemed like really deep thought. 

  
  


"Rufus?" Tifa said as she made her way over to where he sat, with the cup of tea still in hand. He didn't answer or acknowledge the question or her presence. She knelt down to allow herself to be able to see Rufus face. His eyebrows were knit tightly together, eyes closed shut. His lips parted and closed as if he was talking. Tifa leaned in closer to hear. But before she could hear another word, Rufus' eyes shot open.

  
  


"...Tifa?" Suddenly the world seemed to stop. Or at least one thing stopped. Tifa's breathing. She continued to stare at the crisp blue eyes. Their faces extremely close. It would of seemed it was the perfect time for her to steal a kiss from her prince charming, until Rufus suddenly pointed out that she was spilling the tea on the floor. Snapping out of her reverie she looked at her tea and found out that she had spilt a great amount of it on the floor next to Rufus' feet. As she quickly grabbed a towel to clean it, she mentally smacked herself at the thought of Rufus Shinra being her prince charming. She scoffed out loud at the thought of it. _But then why are you blushing so much? _The inner voice was once again annoying the hell out of Tifa. 

  
  


"Is something wrong?" Rufus' silky voice sounded in her ears. She quickly turned her back to him to hide another blush. _Why am I acting so weirdly around him? Is it possible that I actually have _feelings _for him? _Quickly Tifa shook the thought away and turned back to answer Rufus.

  
  


"Uh, no. Everything's fine!" Again, Tifa felt like a fool. Nothing was fine. First of all, she was caught practically _on_ Rufus. And then spilling tea all over the floor and blushing like a maniac. Suddenly a rich laughter filled the room. She turned sharply to glare at Rufus who was doubled over laughing his heart out.

  
  


"What?" Tifa practically shouted, but luckily her voice didn't get higher in pitch than normal. Rufus turned to her, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. Quickly he grabbed the cloth away from Tifa. Tifa, being in far too much embarrassment didn't even react to it, so she just observed. Rufus got into the position Tifa was in earlier while wiping up the tea from the floor. And suddenly he scoffed. _He's mimicking you! _Tifa was about ready to kill the inner voice in her. It was obvious what he was doing. No need to hear it from that damned voice!

  
  


"YOU! I wasn't that bad!" Tifa shouted stomping on the floor. Again, Rufus mimicked her little stomp. Exaggerating it, more than needed. Tifa stood gawking at him. Then quickly Tifa went and tackled Rufus on to the bed. From experience, in one swift move, Rufus was pinned under her, hands pinned underneath him. His breath was relatively warm against her neck. She jerked back sitting on top of Rufus. 

  
  


"Did I ever tell you how cute you look when you're mad?" He chuckled. Tifa practically jumped off him at the time. But then Rufus hands were quick as they grabbed her and pulled her back on him. Now he was sitting up with his arms looped around Tifa holding her. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Slowly extending it. Tifa at first was unable to react. _He's....he's...KISSING ME! _As soon as that registered in her brain she wrapped her arms around him. Rufus' tongue slipped past her lips. That made her aware of what she was really doing. Slowly she pulled away.

  
  


"Tifa....I like you....a lot. Now, tell me, if you can return that..." Rufus voice was quiet in her ear. She turned and looked deeply into Rufus' eyes. _God, Tifa! Answer quick before it ends! _

  
  


"I-I....." 

  
  
  
  
  
  


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MUAHHHA!!!! What will she say? I leave that up to you for now. I know it's been a month since I last uploaded my last chapter. I really really REALLY hope this is good. It's my first time. Hope you all like it! 

  
  


~Bishojo

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

One's Love, One's Pity  
  
By: Bishojo Beauty  
  
Chapter 5  
  
  
  
Note: I took a really long time yet again....I really should apologize to you all!! I had part of it finished....and unfortunetaly I had to get my computer reformatted...AGAIN....and my current obsession is Weiss Kreuz...so, you understand....Anyway, here it is! Chapter......I dunno.......forgot.  
  
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The silence stretched far too long. Tifa just sat there, not moving a muscle, staring into the endless blue eyes. Eyes that belonged to the one and only Rufus Shinra. Her enemy. Well, not exactly hers, but AVALANCHE's, and Tifa's part of it. Rufus' eyes were longing for her reply....but soon, they drifted away from hers and turned ice cold, not a hint of emotion left in them. His facade snapped back on, just like the strong jaws of a Midgar Zolom.   
  
"I think it is time I take my leave," his voice was hard, and chilly. Tifa was practically shoved off of Rufus' lap. But the only thing Tifa was able to do, was watch. God damnit, Tifa! You ruined it! Tifa's grip tightened on the bed sheets, forcing up words past what seemed to have cloged her throat.  
  
"I didn't answer you yet," Tifa's voice cracked and wavered. She sounded pathetic in Rufus' ears, and yet, he still loved the way Tifa looked when mad, confused, and whatever emotion. He just loved Tifa. Rufus then growled deeply in his throat trying to chase away those thoughts. To not feel any emotion once again. He continued to tell himself that it was to be ripped away from him again if he had ever felt for someone.  
  
"Your eyes say enough. I'm leaving." Rufus straightened himself while walking out of the room, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He halted only split second to check his appearance. Perfect as always. And with that, he walked out, door slamming it shut so hard, Tifa's teeth seemed to rattle. Not even a 'thank you' for all the shit you had to go through to save his ass. The voice was right. But still, something was nagging hard at the back of her head, but...it was impossible to grasp. Something was about to happen. Something that could involve a lot of trouble.  
  
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Rufus Shinra made sure he slammed the bedroom door and front door hard enough to show that it was the end. No return for him, and no second chance for her. You're such an idiot Rufus Shinra. You let someone get to you. You've not the discipline you had before. Rufus ignored the damn voice that spoke in his head. He always did, and he turned out okay. As he walked he recieved strange glares and stares. He just looked back casually, enjoying the way the people immediately pull their gaze away, pretending they had not been looking at him from the very beginning. Farther down the streets of Kalm, he spotted a small gang. He was unaware of his surroundings until now. Accidentally, he had walked into the not too "nice" streets of Kalm. Unfortunetaly, it was too late to turn back. The gang had already surrounded him. Smugs glued onto their faces as they swung around tree branches, chains, and crow bars dangerously around in a threatening way. But Rufus was not intimidated by them. He never showed fear in any way shape or form.   
  
"Well, well. Look what we have here," A rather large man stepped out in front of them all. Rufus assumed he was the leader of this group of people.   
  
"What you doing here, Pretty Boy?" Another man said from behind him. Rufus' instincts suddenly came in, and he whirled around grabbing the stick that the man swung at his legs to knock him off his feet. It was a poor attempt. Rufus shoved the stick back at the other man's gut and then twisting it out of this hands. He could not use his shotgun. So the stick of...whatever it was, was his only choice. Killing was not an option. He was probably already a wanted man for bearing the name Shinra.   
  
"You people can't just go around hurtin' people!! You die here!!" The leader shouted, and before he knew it, Rufus was engulfed in a lopsided fight. He was fighting a losing battle. But still, Rufus Shinra was not about to die without fighting. Well, not exactly die, just getting the shit beat out of him without beating someone else back. Rufus felt something tingle. It felt like something inside of him was awakening from it's sleep. Felt like someone was taking over his body. It was strange, but then, suddenly, a surge of red crackling lightning filled the sky. But none of it hit any of the men and women around him. But it was enough to scare them away. They scurried away as quickly as they could, abadoning all weapons and anything that could possibly be weighing them down. Then, all power was gone, and Rufus felt tired. Extremely tired. Stading up properly was hard, and even breathing itself was hard. Soon, Rufus' body came to a rest as he fell into unconciousness.   
  
---  
  
Rufus Shinra woke up sleeping on a bed. Not his bed, not Tifa's bed....but someone else's bed. Rufus lifted his head slightly to look around at his surroundings. But as soon as he did that, he regretted it. The room suddenly started to spin violently. Rufus carefully laid his head back down and squeezed his eyes shut attempting to shake off his dizziness. What the hell happened? Was I beat to hell by those gangsters? Rufus couldn't exactly think straight either. Everything that happened at what seemed like moments ago were all fuzzy. Just as if it was a dream. But when Rufus' right hand went searching his side where he was brutally hit by one of them, it hurt. In other words, it was not a dream. Rufus swore under his breath at another failed attempt to get off the bed and out of the room. Trying to escape. His third attempt halted mid way as he caught a figure standing at the doorway from the corner of his eye. Rufus slowly leaned back down, propping himself on his elbows. What he saw was unbelievably shocking to him. Tifa Lockheart stood there watching him. She smiled as soon as his gaze met hers.   
  
"I found you lying in the middle of the street on the wrong side of town. You must of really been depressed that I rejected you to go all the way there," Tifa slowly walked over to the bed. Taking a seat by his legs. Rufus dismissed what she had said last and continued to sit the rest of the way up. But the only thing that he actually did was topple over the bed and fall face first onto the floor. He layed there sprawled on the hardwood floor.   
  
"Very graceful of a Shinra," Tifa said from behind him. Her giggles echoed through his head.  
  
"I was not a Shinra by choice. Now, what the hell do you want?" Rufus said to her cooly, the blood rushing to his head was unbearable. But he felt far too weak to pick himself up, so he just let his legs slid down off of the bed to join the rest of his body on the floor with a dull thump.   
  
"You're discouraging why I came here to see you..." That surprised Rufus the most. And he did nothing to hide it. He turned to her carefully and raised an elegant brow in question. None of his movements were helping his physical condition out at all.   
  
"I got really worried about you. And....I had this funny feeling something was going to happen. Something really wrong. So, I set out to call you back to safety, but then I guess I was too late. I found you outside, so I brought you to the nearest home I knew of. And....I saw something...different. Something that could mean something big. And I think it's best you look for yourself," Tifa said, handing a mirror to Rufus. Rufus took it hesitantly. He looked into it. At first everything looked normal. Until he looked deeper into his eyes. He blinked a few times thinking it was just a illusion his mind was playing on him. But every blink. It became more noticable. There were gold rims forming around his blue eyes. Covering more blue each time he blinked.   
  
"What the hell.....?" Rufus was for once scared. Well, not really scared. Just a little, maybe. Could this be connected to what I felt while fighting those gangsters? What the hell is inside of me? Something was awfully wrong. And Rufus had a feeling he was going to find out soon. Hopefully soon enough before whatever this is takes control.   
  
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Wow, that's the end! Well, the end of this chapter I mean. This is just the beginning. Hopefully next time I'll post sooner. If I'm not too busy. Well, anyway, hope you liked this chapter!  
  



	6. Chapter 6

One's Love, One's Pity

  
  


By: Bishojo Beauty

  
  


Chapter 6

  
  


Note: Hey everyone! I'm back once again! Eh.....long time since I've written. Haha......thanks to all of you people who waited for this chapter.....Maybe next time, I'll write sooner. It all depends on how much time I have.......anyway...here's chapter 6!!

  
  


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Rufus just couldn't understand it. He'd paced around and around in circles for hours, and yet, his mind still never came up with a solution. You think better when you get something to eat, you know. Rufus considered that thought for a while. And just by looking at Tifa's face, he could tell that his pacing was probably driving her insane. 

  
  


"You know, I think I'll go out and grab something to eat. I always found it easier to think while drinking or eating. So, would you like to join me?" Rufus asked, holding out a hand and doing a slight bow, as a prince would do for a princess. He enjoyed watching as a small blush crept onto her face. But, suddenly, Tifa frowned. 

  
  


"You can't just go waltzing around! It's not like you're the president anymore. I don't know how to say this, but....you're just the EX-president...." Tifa dared not to meet Rufus' gaze. Not wanting to see the hurtful look appear on his face. But she was wrong when she thought this was going to affect him. 

  
  


"Oh, come on! I still have the right to be human! Besides, you got that.....kicking of yours!" He tried to kick into the air, but he just ended up toppling over. Though he did regain a lot of his energy back, he did not gain back all. Tifa threw her head back as she laughed at his poor attempt. Rufus got up quickly, dusting himself off as if he really got dirty. When Tifa finally finished laughing, he continued to stand with his nose pointed slightly into the air, acting as if nothing happened. 

  
  


"Let's go," Rufus said and grabbed Tifa leading her quickly out of the house, and to the closest shop he could find.

  
  


--

  
  


When they entered the small restaurant, they received a few strange glares as people murmured about the look alikeness of Rufus to the president, not realizing this WAS the actually president they were looking at. As they seated at the far corner of the restaurant, Tifa was able to get to look at Rufus. She noticed how he looked quite different without the white suit he always wore, which made him look much more mature than he really was. And now with the clothes that Tifa bought for him, he looked more like an average person. He didn't have the...Thing to him that made people get down to their knees the moment they saw him. It felt different. HE was different, or it was just the way the people on the news portrayed him that made him seem so different. Tifa remembered when she was younger how much she hated Shinra. But, now, she was beginning to develop feelings for Rufus, whether she liked it or not. She quickly jumped out of her reverie as she noticed Rufus was waving his hand in front of her face.

  
  


"Are you planning on ordering anything?" Rufus questioned. Tifa bowed her head slightly mumbling her apologies while picking up the menu from the table. She looked up to see Rufus flash her a quick smile. Baring his perfect teeth, and she could of sworn she even saw light shine off it. The waiter came and left quickly taking orders and returning with the food. As they ate, they talked, and surprisingly, they had a lot in common.

  
  


"Are you serious!? You like it too?" Tifa asked in amazement. The more they talked, the more they found out about each other. Their differences and their likenesses. But soon their perfect moment was ruined as a rather large and strong hand grabbed Rufus by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up to his feet. Tifa's reflexes came into play almost immediately as she launched herself towards the man to catch him with a jump kick, but before she could do so, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, preventing her from doing anything. 

  
  


"Hey, Tifa! Calm down!" The man that grabbed her shouted. It was a familiar voice.

  
  


"Cloud...?" Tifa managed to croak out as she struggled against the hold, to find her released as soon as she recognized it was Cloud. 

  
  


"You son of a bitch! I'm gonna murder you! And if I find out you laid your filthy hands on Tifa, I'm gonna make you do a great deal of sufferin', before I blow your brains out!" Tifa quickly shifted her watch to where the shouting was taking place. They fell on a very angry Barret with a equally menacing Rufus shoved against the wall. Abruptly, Rufus swung his fist, connecting it with Barret's nose. The sound of bone cracking sounded loudly. Tifa wasn't sure if it was Rufus' knuckles, or Barret's nose. Barret roared in frustration as he held up his gun arm. Pointing it directly towards Rufus. And before Tifa even knew it, the sound of gunshots rang across the room.

  
  
  
  


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Oh...there's chapter 6. ^_^ 


	7. Chapter 7

One's Love, One's Pity

  
  


By: Bishojo Beauty

  
  


Chapter 7

  
  


YEAH!!! Guess who's back?!?!? Well, actually, I was never really gone....

I've got quite a few new obsessions....(FFX, MGS2, and yup...new anime too....GENSOMADEN SAIYUKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Anyway....here's chapter 7, and since I'm a little late for Christmas....I'll just wish you all a happy New Year instead! 

So...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!! 

  
  


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It was as if it was some kind of silly effect like on a movie. But, it wasn't a movie, it was real life. The bullets that were supposed to be flying at him top speed seemed to be just taking it's time. And, literally, Rufus saw his life flash by. Why is the feeling of death so familiar to me? 

  
  


****

  
  


"...fire," Rufus Shinra ordered and watched as the infamous Sister Ray worked it's magic. 

  
  


"P-President Rufus! Get out of the office!!" His intercom cracked. But, it seemed as if there was an invisible force holding Rufus in place. Unwilling to allow Rufus to escape, and cheat his way out of death. Rufus stood there calmly closing his eyes, his life flashing by. He remembered from the time he was just a small lad, playing the piano with his mother by his side. Coaching him through his daily lessons, to the day he became ex-president, then how he had ached for the last time, swearing to his father's death.

  
  


Time decelerated allowing Rufus one last second to live. As soon he opened his eyes, he witnessed his death. The fireball came full speed now with no mercy upon it. And then was he blasted into oblivion. But before he was taken, one word graced his lips.

  
  


"Love..."

  
  


****

  
  


Rufus opened his eyes, and once again, it came. The bullets now flew swiftly towards him and once again he felt pain. Not the mental pain he had denied from himself, but the physical pain that was inflicted. But his time, he voiced something different. It wasn't a word. But a name.

  
  


"Tifa!" Quickly, darkness engulfed him.

  
  


--

  
  


Tifa couldn't believe her eyes as she witnessed the death of Rufus. She watched as the bullets pierced his chest. She watched as he fell back and withered to the ground. A sure sign that death had come.

"NOO!! Barret! How could you?!?" She stared at the still bewildered Barret. Without waiting for his response, she rushed over to Rufus' side, holding his head in her lap.

  
  


"God, Rufus....please, open your eyes. Open your eyes and tell me it's okay!!" She yelled as she shook Rufus' limp body in her arms.

  
  


"Rufus, don't die on me.....b-because, I......." Tifa buried her face at the crook of Rufus' neck. Tifa allowed her tears to flow freely down the curves of her face and fall down to Rufus.

  
  


"Because.....I love you, Rufus," Tifa whispered as she held Rufus' dead body closer to hers. 

  
  
  
  


--

  
  


Once again, Rufus opened his eyes to the familiar surroundings of the lifestream. Have I died this time, for real? He looked around some more as he waited for his answer. But non came.

  
  


"Hello?" Rufus spoke as he searched for the welcoming voice of the lifestream. 

  
  


"Welcome back, Rufus. I have prepared a place for you since you failed your mission," The lifestream spoke. Rufus couldn't help but gasp in shock. I failed my mission....meaning, I'm really dead. But...

  
  


"But...," 

  
  


"No buts. You have failed. You let another person interfere. Now, you must go to the lifestream where others like you have failed to repay the lifestream."

  
  


"No...you can't do this to me...If I lived once, I'm going to live one more time!" Rufus growled as he began to struggle against the lifestream. Bonds snaked around his body keeping him from leaving. Rufus could feel tears burning in the back of his eyes as he had already realized his attempts were futile. It was a feeling he had never felt for a long time, it made him feel alive, feel free from the confines he had built to protect himself from pain. He felt that he could let go from it all, since now, he had Tifa, someone who cared, who was there to share it all with him. And so he let them go, the tears flowed down his narrow face as he pulled against the bonds. One by one, he felt them snap and release, the more he pulled, the more that snapped. He felt more that wrapped around him, as he grew weaker and weaker, his first few attempts were useless. But, he just refused to give up, and with his last ounce of strength, he had reached something deep within him as he felt this sudden surge of power, he felt...love. The bonds snapped and released him as he fell deeper down into the lifestream. Soon, he broke through their barrier and he was now falling down towards the Planet. He didn't really care where he landed as long as he landed on Planet. No matter what, he was going to find Tifa. He came closer and closer, and soon, a small town was visible. Rufus squinted his eyes as he recognized the small town to be Kalm. He burst through the roof of a restaurant and down towards his body. The next thing he knew as he opened his eyes, he was down on the floor with Tifa holding him tight in her arms. 

  
  


"Tifa...," Rufus whispered in her ear, raising a hand to place on her shoulder. Tifa jumped, holding Rufus an arms length away, but still not letting go. He looked at Tifa and her tear-streaked face. Slowly, he raised his hand, and wiped the tears away. Tifa slowly poked a finger through the holes of his shirt feeling for bullet holes. Amazingly, they had somehow disappeared. Rufus couldn't help but let a chuckle escape, which turned into a snort. Rufus threw his head back laughing light-heartily.

  
  


"I forgot you were ticklish," Tifa giggled as she embraced Rufus tightly in her arms, and for once, the burden on her shoulders had been lifted off.

  
  


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Well, that's Chapter 7. Hoped you all enjoyed it. And ONCE AGAIN I must apologize for how long I take to write each chapter...But you know...I got exams and all coming soon, so, I GOTTA WORK! Anyway, enjoy! 

  
  


Bishojo

  
  


Oh, and....^_^ you can join my yahoo club....it's about RPGs and Anime, I've just revived it from quite a while ago...so it'll look a little slow....hehe

http://www.clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/infiniterpgs


	8. Chapter 8

One's Love, One's Pity

  
  
  
  


By: Bishojo Beauty

  
  
  
  


Chapter 8

  
  
  
  
  
  


Whoa, took me long enough to write....honestly, I'm just stuck...

  
  


Oh, yeah, and about that mission thing...it was like, a mission to repay the lifestream for all the sin's that a person did while living on the Planet. Rufus failed the mission because he died by letting Tifa interfere with what was going on. So.....now what?

Find out here! Chapter 8!

  
  


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The day Rufus heard Tifa confess her love to him had passed. Three days ago. Since then, the members of AVALANCHE never came to the point of accepting Rufus. Luckily, from the day that Rufus miraculously woke from the dead, nothing strange seemed to happen, yet. Tifa sat at the dining table, to the right of her, was Rufus, left, Barret, and across from her was Cloud. They all ate in silence, the tension eating away. Rufus paid no heed to Barret as he ate and glared at Rufus, never taking his eyes off him. Tifa did however catch Barret when he glanced at her a few times. Each time with more worry than the last. Their attention was drawn to Cloud as he cleared his throat, unintentionally. 

  
  


"Nice day, today," Cloud says. He'd rather say something than be the target of their glares. 

  
  


"Still a bit chilly, don't you think, Tifa?" Rufus made it clear that Barret had no effect on him what so ever. Tifa looked up from my dinner to see Rufus smile at her sweetly. She would of looked past it, if it wasn't for his eyes. They spoke of something that told her he genuinely cared for her, and it wasn't just to prove something to Barret. In reply to Rufus' response, Barret snorted. Once again, the room was silent again. It went on like that for another fifteen minutes as they finished their dinners. And that was when all hell broke loose. Barret was biting Rufus' head off with his remarks, and Rufus retaliated without missing a beat. Tifa couldn't help but smile as she watched Rufus run his trained mouth. After all, he was the president, and not to forget, he loved to make speeches. Oh, I wonder what else he can do with that mouth of his. At that thought, Tifa immediately covered gaping mouth with her hand. 

  
  


"Oh, my god!" Tifa instantly regretted what slipped past her lips. Now, all attention was drawn to her. A blush crept up her face as he looked at Rufus. Her gaze trailing down to his lips. Perfect. 

  
  


"Something wrong?" Rufus asked, danger crossing his mind. He moved quickly to Tifa's side, all in thinking to protect her, wrapping his arms around her. Barret grunted in disgust.

  
  


"If you two are going to go all lovey-dovey, take it somewhere else. It's disgusting," Tifa, even in all of her embarrassment, felt the sting of those words. She couldn't help but feel offended. Of all the time she had known Barret, now is the time he was seriously pulling the strings. But before Rufus even opened his mouth, she quickly dragged him into the other room and out into the balcony. They stood in each other's company as they stared into the night, the first of stars appearing. It was different in Kalm. The stars were actually visible. Unlike in Midgar, where Mako polluted the air so badly that the night sky wasn't even visible. 

  
  


"Rufus?" Rufus quickly turned all his attention to Tifa. His blue eyes planted right on hers. It was like a dream

  
  


"Hmm?" He purred as he turned around, leaning with his back on the bars that surrounded the balcony. 

  
  


"Do you still think about ruling Midgar? Or, starting a Mako plant?" I caught his quick reaction, his brows shoting up in surprise, but less than a second later, his face was back to it's neutral self. I watched him as he pursed his lips together, creased his brows and directed his gaze to the floor. 

  
  


"Sometimes," And with that, he got up, and went back inside, leaving Tifa by herself to ponder about it.

  
  


When Tifa turned her gaze back to the night sky, she noticed a moving object in the sky. A shooting star? And quickly, Tifa made a wish. She wished for Rufus to open up to her. Little did she know, that wish was going to bring a lot more unpleasantries than good.

  
  


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Whoa! I actually finished it! Took me a LONG time. Hope you all enjoy it. Though it is short, I'm hoping to write more...soon. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Chapter 9

One's Love, One's Pity

  
  
  
  


By: Bishojo Beauty

  
  
  
  


Chapter 9

  
  
  
  


Tifa made her way back into the kitchen only to find it empty, empty of life. It held only the dirty dishes in the sink, and some still on the table. 

  
  


"Rufus?" Tifa called out. A hint of worry present in her voice. 

  
  


She continued down the hall to the living room where it too, laid lifeless. Now, as the tautness grew, her senses began to become stronger. She could hear the dripping of the kitchen faucet, the creak of the floorboards beneath her footsteps, the howling of the wind. Calling Rufus name again and again as she made her way around the house. Her body tense, prepared to attack at any moment. Suddenly, she felt a hand clasp over her mouth, and an arm rap around her body keeping her arms at her side. Disabling her of any attacks. Tifa struggled hard against her the person who held her captive. She attempted to open her mouth, her plan being to bite down upon the man's hand. 

  
  


"Stop. It's just me," a voice whispered in her ear. Rufus.

  
  


As he slowly released her, Tifa turned around quickly, hoping to find the reason for the disappearing act he had just pulled along with the others. 

  
  


"What's going on? Is this some kind of joke?" Tifa questioned. 

  
  


With each word that left her lips, her voice pitched higher and higher. It's been a while since Tifa felt the rush, the fear, the feelings of battle. She could feel her knees weakening underneath her. Reflexes acted before her mind as her hands moved to cling on to Rufus as he stood, unusually stiff.

  
  


"This is no joke. Something's going on. Cloud and Barret thought they saw something outside. They haven't come back yet. Something's up," Rufus whispered in Tifa's ear. Footsteps were now heard from the floor below. Two pairs. Could it Cloud and Barret? Tifa felt a wave of relief as she heard the voices of Cloud and Barret calling her name. But not Rufus' for obvious reasons. She glanced at Rufus quickly only to see his brows creased together in a worrisome manner. Quickly, Tifa gave him a wink as to reassure him that she was safe and then made her way down the stairs to meet Cloud and Barret. As she made her way down, she quickly realized that Rufus didn't follow her. Hm...strange. But she quickly chased that thought away, being more intent to find out exactly what was going on.

  
  


"Tifa! Thank the Planet, you're alright. Barret and I were worried that whoever was here were just luring us out leaving you helpless. So we came back," Cloud said. Tifa gave him a disappointed look.

  
  


"I'm not that helpless. You should know Cloud. And plus I have Rufus here with me," Tifa said smiling sweetly. Cloud could tell that Tifa was finally happy, but not Barret. He was too arrogant to look past his anger and see that. Just as if it could get any worse. Rufus chose that exact moment to rush into the room. Tifa could practically sense the anger from Barret. 

  
  


"Something is going to happen, I can feel it," Rufus said before Barret could say anything rude first. But that didn't stop Barret from doing anything rude though, as he snorted as loud as he possibly could. Rufus shot him a look before he continued to speak. 

  
  


"I don't know how I know, but it's just a gut feeling. It's like someone is trying warn me of danger," Tifa watched as Rufus paced the room, placing a hand on his chin and tapping his finger against his lips as he thought. A quiet rumbling could be heard from the distance as this happened.

  
  


"Just what we need, a thunderstorm," Cloud remarked out loud. He took a seat on the couch of the living room. The rumbling continued never stopping since it started.

  
  


"Does the rumbling sound for that long? I don't think this is a thunderstorm at all. It's something bigger," Rufus said, pulling the curtains to the nearest window apart. The sky was an eerie red. It wasn't like the red of a sunset, rather the red of blood, spilt across the sky. 

  
  


"Holy shit! Something tells me that's not good," Barret yelled over the continuous rumbling as it grew louder. In the distance smoke grew. Rufus squinted to try to see what was causing it. The few buildings and houses were collapsing to the ground. Rufus and everyone felt as the ground below them began to shake. Cloud yelled something as he ran for cover, but was unheard over the loud rumbling. Rufus grabbed Tifa by the arm as he ran out of the house, knowing that the house would eventually collapse on them. Cloud and Barret followed, Cloud being worried for the life of Tifa, and Barret for Tifa and his hate for the Ex-president of Shinra. Rufus just kept on running along with Tifa. He didn't care where he was going, knowing only that he had to get out and away from whatever was going on. A small nagging voice kept telling him it had something to do with his betrayal to the lifestream. Betrayal my ass. Rufus thought back to himself. Suddenly Rufus felt something, rather someone, tackle him from behind. He fell hard onto the ground, the gravel coming up in a spray around them. Rufus flipped the assailant over. Or at least tried to. The assailant being Barret made that task quite hard for the smaller man as they struggled against each other. Barret landed a few hefty punches on Rufus while Rufus could only struggle helplessly against pure muscles. Tifa ran quickly over, grabbing Barret by the arms and pulling him back with the use of he strength and weight. 

  
  


"Get off of him!" Tifa screamed only to be drowned out by the loud rumbling around them. Cloud soon joined in on pulling Barret off Rufus. Finally they were successful. But the ex-president of Shinra was obviously not to happy about the fact that Barret had jumped him and beat him with his punches and so as soon as Rufus got up onto his feet he swung forward with a closed fist, landing a punch right on Barret's jaw. Barret fluently swore as he wiped the blood off his split lip. As the small brawl continued the three men were oblivious to their surroundings until Tifa spoke out loud.

  
  


"Stop guys! Listen, the rumbling's gone!" She yelled, cheering happily. Cloud, Barret, and Rufus froze where they were, heads shooting up. 

  
  


"Yeah, and so is the rest of Kalm," Cloud pointed out. Everybody then realized, they were the only survivors. The sky was back to it's normal smoggy way. The only difference was that there was no longer anyone to notice besides the few members of AVALANCHE and the ex-president of Shinra.

  
  
  
  
  
  


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Okay, Yeah...I must apologize AGAIN for taking so long. Now this was VERY long. After I looked at my last chapter. I felt really sorry cause it was so short. So I finished this chapter. I hope it's okay. Well, yeah, a turn of events to start something.........MUhahahahah


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